


I or We

by vegetariancannibal



Category: Neopets
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous Age, Bondage, Communist!Dictator!Sloth, Dubious Consent, Gen, Grundo!Ted, Interrogation, Minor Injuries, Religion, State-Sanctioned Romance, discussion of sex, dystopian au, shameless self-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-09-15 10:43:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 9,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9231302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vegetariancannibal/pseuds/vegetariancannibal
Summary: Set in a Nineteen Eighty-Four esque police state. Dr. Sloth has been in control of Neopia - now renamed NeoSlothia - for as long as any of the current generation can remember. After having a run-in with a member of the underground Resistance, one Grundo is forced to come to terms with the true nature of the regime.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This might become explicit later on, idk. I'm not really sure where I'm taking it tbh.

"Where did you meet him?"

 

"I... huh?"

 

"Gorix! Where did you meet him!"

 

The hooded figure slammed his fists onto the table. A voice crackled through on the speaker.

 

"Calmer, Parlax."

 

He took a few deep breaths and relaxed his hands.

 

"Now then, Ted," he spoke, grinning beneath the shade of his hood. "Would you like to tell me where you found Gorix?"

 

Ted tried to look around. Everything was dark and murky except for the light shining onto eir face. Something didn't seem to fit logically, but eir gut wasn't telling em of anything that was wrong. Ey nodded. Somehow, it felt like answering was the only right thing to do.

 

"Go on."

 

"I first saw him in a café."

 

"Good. What was the café called?"

 

"Juniper. It was called Juniper."

 

"Well done. You're a good citizen, aren't you?"

 

"No... I'm not."

 

"Oh?” The interrogator leaned forward. “Tell me more."

 

"I fear the Leader,” Ted stammered. “I think he's bad."

 

“Who made you think that?”

 

“Gorix.”

 

“I see. Have you ever committed a crime for which you have gone unpunished?”

 

Ey nodded again, tears beginning to pool around the bottom of eir eyes.

 

“Did Gorix cause you to commit these crimes also?”

 

“No.” Ey shook eir head. “I was bad before. I used to steal rations.”

 

“Did you punish yourself for it?”

 

“Yes.” Ted didn't care how he knew. The truth swirled in eir mind like a big ball of clothes in a washing machine. It was mesmerising.

 

“Did you know that this was also against the law?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I am glad you admit to it. Whatever your crimes in the past, you are being a good citizen now by telling me about them. Doesn't it feel good to get it all off your chest?”

 

“It does.”

 

“Now, I would like you to tell me more about Gorix. Did he ever take you to his headquarters?”

 

“No.”

 

“What about any other place? A secret place?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What was this place?”

 

“He said he would meet me somewhere safe – under a tree in Francis Park. I got there and he held a rag to my mouth and told me to sniff. It made me fall asleep and I woke up in a wooden room, tied to a bed. My clothes were on the floor.”

 

The interrogator winced. Ted wondered if ey'd done something wrong.

 

“Then what did he do to you?”

 

“He said, “well, you're not a spy,” and then he told me he was part of the Resistance. He asked me what I knew about the Leader so I told him what everyone knows, but then he asked me what I really knew. Then he told me stories that made me afraid of the Leader. I said they were blasphemies but he said they were true.”

 

“Did he use your unpunished transgressions as evidence?”

 

“Yes. He touched my scars.”

 

“The scars on your leg?”

 

“Yes. He said the Leader doesn't read minds, he just watches everything. The two times I wasn't punished for stealing are because the cameras were pointing elsewhere.”

 

"Did he ask you to join the Resistance?"

 

"Yes."

 

"What did you say to him?"

 

"I told him no."

 

"How did he react when you said no?"

 

"He was disappointed. But he said he would show me something."

 

"What did he show you?"

 

"He showed me how to derive pleasure from my own body. He said the Leader forbids sex until he assigns you a partner because he wants to be in control of our pleasure."

 

The interrogator made a disgusted face.

 

"Gorix is a liar. Do you understand that, Ted?"

 

Ted nodded. "He lied to me."

 

"Good. What did he do after he taught you masturbation?"

 

"He said I could do that as much as I wanted without being punished, but only if I joined the Resistance. I still said no. If he was right, and the Leader couldn't read minds, I just had to make sure I wouldn't be seen."

 

"But you were seen, and the Leader does read minds. Tell me, what is your deepest fear?"

 

"Pain, alone in the dark, dying. Can't move. Spyders. My insides dissolving. I can't scream."

 

"Well, cooperate with us, and we will make sure that never happens to you. We will help you to be a good citizen, and you will have nothing to fear. Wouldn't you like that? No more fear?"

 

Ey nodded vigorously. Fear of punishment hadn't been enough to keep em from being bad sometimes. Help to be good, that sounded wonderful. Just what ey needed.

 

"Keep telling me what happened after he asked you to join again."

 

"Um, after I said no, he kissed me and said please. I became upset because I'd been tied down for too long and because I don't want a partner. I thought he was going to force me to be his partner. I panicked and started screaming to please let me go. He told me he wasn't going to force me to do anything. He was upset. He put the rag in my mouth again and I woke up under the tree. It was sunset and I was alone. He must have put my clothes back on while I was asleep."

 

"So then you wandered around shouting for Gorix until a park warden told you to get out. Why were you shouting for him?"

 

"Because I wanted to fight him or tell him off."

 

"Why didn't you go to the police and let them look for Gorix? Why did you want to break the law by punishing him yourself?"

 

"I was afraid of what Gorix had told me about the police. I was afraid I would be tortured and disappeared."

 

"Well, you have no need to fear us anymore. You have been very helpful, Ted."

 

"Are you the police?"

 

"Yes. We are the police."

 

"Are you going to torture me?"

 

"No." He smiled. "I can safely say we are not. For now, it is time you slept."

 

Ted felt a sharp prick in eir neck, followed by an immediate sense of wooziness. "What's... going... to... happen...?"

 

Ey didn't get to finish as the sluggishness overwhelmed em, and everything turned to darkness.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“You really wanted that one, didn't you?” Cylara stood leaning in the doorway, watching Gorix whittling his frustrations into a block of wood.

 

“Doesn't matter,” he said through gritted teeth.

 

“I watched the video.”

 

“So what? Ey was too old. I chose wrongly.”

 

“Gorix...” Cylara came and sat down next to him, watching the knife chip haphazardly at the wood. “Don't be too hard on yourself. You know most of them didn't think you'd be able to get one on your first try, and well, look how that turned out.”

 

He put down the knife and looked at her. She was smiling. He sighed.

 

“You were different though. I thought you were my contact. It was completely by mistake.”

 

“And you recruited me anyway. My _Dad_ works at the Ministry of Information. No one else would have even tried, but you can read people. You knew how I doubted the line, just from looking at me.”

 

“No.” He put his hand on her face, her beautiful face. “I got lucky on you. I can't do these things that people expect of me.”

 

“I told you –” She took his hand, holding it close to her fur. “– I watched the video. That Grundo was so close to wanting you. You just need some more practise.”

 

Gorix scoffed. “Oh yeah, and who am I going to practise on? You?”

 

“Well...” Her eyes lit up.

 

“Oh.” He blushed. Well, it wouldn't hurt to practise after all.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey. Prisoner."

 

Ted groaned. Eir mouth felt like a sand pit, eir head like a balloon. Eir eyes flickered open. Everything was metal. Ey shut eir eyes again.

 

"I said wake up!"

 

A sharp kick to eir stomach made Ted jerk back to the waking world. Ey cried out and clutched at eir stomach, scrabbling around the floor with eir other hand to try and find some way to pull emself up. Someone big grabbed the back of eir collar and hoisted em onto a chair, dropping em roughly as soon as eir bottom was above the seat.

 

In front of em was a table, illuminated by a single bright light. The rest of the room was dark, much as before.

 

"You're going to show us where this tree is," growled a heavyset Blumaroo, taking place opposite and spreading a map on the table.

 

Ted squinted. It was a map of Francis Park. Ey'd been there recently. What was it ey had been doing?

 

"You told us of a tree, under which you met with a young Grundo calling himself Gorix. Is this jogging your memory, prisoner?"

 

Ted nodded slowly, glumly. Ey couldn't remember telling anyone anything, but ey must have if they knew about Gorix. Ey traced the path ey'd taken to find the tree, and then pointed when ey was sure.

 

"There. It was there." Ey looked fearfully up at the Blumaroo. He continued to glare.

 

"That fits with the location from the warden's report," said a new voice, but one which sounded familiar somehow. A split Grundo, a deep scar criss-crossing his face, came now to look at the map. "We'll need to change the patrol schedules, add some random variables into the timing. It's annoying."

 

"He won't be pleased."

 

"I'll explain it to him. You can search those woods all you want - the priority is to stop them from using that area."

 

"Of course it is," the Blumaroo said dryly. "You're taking the prisoner?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Good. Good riddance."

 

The split Grundo took eir hands and cuffed them. Ted didn't resist. Ey didn't want another kick in the stomach. After being blindfolded and gagged, ey was led from the room.

 

"That was Commander Garoo," said the Grundo, interrupting Ted's mental count of the steps. "His jurisdiction is over criminals who can't be saved."

 

Ted tried to speak, but suddenly remembered ey had a gag in eir mouth.

 

"The Leader himself will see you and make a decision on whether your plight can be remedied. I expect he will make you an offer you can't refuse."

 

Ted wondered why he was telling em this. The thought of meeting the Leader in person made eir stomach all the more nauseous. Ey'd made so many mistakes - ey was far from the perfect citizen of NeoSlothia.

 

"I was a bad citizen too once, but he looked at me and he showed mercy, and now I work directly for him. Our Leader is generous and merciful, as long as we are obedient to him. We are his children, you see."

 

Ted heard something jangling, like metal on a loop. Ey had time enough just to wonder what was going on before ey was shoved into what felt like a small cupboard. The blindfold got taken off, and the door slammed behind em. A little window appeared in it as ey turned round to look.

 

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like confined spaces, but at least you're not in the dark."

 

Ted reached out to the walls, the green glow of eir skin revealing every nook. Ey looked to eir captor pleadingly.

 

"I'll be returning shortly. You won't be in there for long. Try not to hurt yourself, there's a good citizen."

 

The window slot snapped shut and ey was alone again. Trapped.

 


	4. Chapter 4

There was a sock hanging on Gorix's door. Of course there would be. Conicks knocked regardless.

 

"I'm busy!" came the response, followed by a giggle.

 

"It's important! There's been some consequences!"

 

A hushed set of whispers followed by a couple of thuds ended in Gorix opening the door, his trousers having the look of being pulled on hastily.

 

"What sort of consequences?"

 

Conicks dared not look past him into the room, instead focusing on Gorix dead in the eye.

 

"Your failed target went snitch."

 

Gorix's face paled. "What's happened? I-I mean how do you know?"

 

"Get dressed and follow me."

 

Gorix nodded gravely and the door snapped shut. It wasn't long before it opened again, his trousers fixed and a fresh vest on top.

 

"Okay," he said curtly. "Let's go."

 

The command centre consisted of a single computer and a map table. There used to be a flipchart at one point, but they had since run out of paper. Everything now had to be kept in the Commander's head, and he would become irritable if anyone interrupted him while he was memorising.

 

There he was, sitting at the computer screen, watching one section of the surveillance feed over and over. Gorix and Conicks stayed silent until he noticed their arrival.

 

"Ah! Gorix!" He leapt up and ushered him over to the screen. Valka pointed at the feed. "What do you see?"

 

Gorix swallowed hard. "They're crawling all over that tree."

 

"Fortunately they haven't discovered our camera yet, but I wouldn't put it past them to set up their own. I need you to retrieve it as quickly as possible."

 

"Understood, Commander."

 

"Conicks, you'll be on the ground. You know what to do if you spot anyone coming."

 

"Aye aye, sir." He knew the signals well enough he could perform them in his sleep, or thereabouts.

 

"Get going the both of you," Valka barked. "I want you in and out as quick as can be. Good luck, soldiers. And may God be with you."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Darkness. That was one of eir biggest fears. Ey couldn't see in the dark - not like most. Eir glow lit up the things closest to em, but anything farther than a metre away was completely out of sight. Of course, that was when ey was unclothed. This was one of the times Ted wished eir eyes were on the tips of eir antennae, so that at least ey might be able to see _some_ of what eir face light revealed.

 

But no. The walls were too close in here. It was suffocating. Ey couldn't breathe properly for the gag in eir mouth.

 

The window slot slid back. A pair of red, pupilled eyes stared at em. Ted stared back. Ey'd never seen eyes such as those, except on the thirty foot high posters depicting NeoSlothia's Supreme Leader. His eyes could see into the mind of any citizen, or so the propaganda would say.

 

The door opened.

 

There he was. Exactly as the posters depicted. Tall, silent, and watching.

 

“ _Please let me out, please let me out,”_ was all that filled Ted's mind. The Leader beckoned to em. Ted slowly got to eir feet, eir legs threatening to wobble away from em, and took steps closer.

 

Closer.

 

His robe shone green from eir approach. It had looked black at first, but it shimmered under the light as ey moved closer.

 

Closer.

 

He moved aside to let em out into the dazzling corridor. All the while, he watched eir movements. Ey staggered into the light, blinking. It was so bright, so welcoming after that confined darkness.

 

“How long were you left in there?”

 

Ted had no idea. It had felt like at least an hour, maybe five, but ey hadn't pissed emself yet.

 

“When was the last time you ate?”

 

Ey looked up at him. Eir stomach growled. Ey couldn't remember the last time ey'd eaten.

 

“Come with me.” He picked em up, smushing eir face into his chest. The motion of his footsteps lulled em into feeling secure, rather than restricted. Ey listened to the rhythm of his heart, slow and steady. It was comforting.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Gikerot, this is Vaeolus. Cybit is in position. Do you copy?”

 

“Copy Vaeolus. Awaiting all clear, over.”

 

Valka studied the camera feed, waiting for Conicks' signal. There!

 

“All clear, Gikerot. Proceed to Doughnutfruit, over.”

 

“Copy that, Vaeolus. Approaching Doughnutfruit now.”

 

And now the hazardous wait. He watched as the leaves surrounding the camera shook at Gorix's approach. So far the coast had remained clear, but that could change at any second. Gorix's hand covered the video feed as he reached for the camera. Time to notify Conicks.

 

“Vaeolus is in the dark. No need to copy, Cybit. Over.”

 

Gorix would have to listen out for himself now. It was nerve-wracking, being unable to see what was going on. Unable to give them advice. Unable to look out for ones he still thought of as “his boys”.

 

“Gikerot to Vaeolus,” came Gorix's voice through the comm. “The Doughnutfruit is ripe, over.”

 

“Well done, Gikerot.” Valka breathed a sigh of relief. “Return to summerhouse. Over and out.”

 

He flipped the switch over so he could contact Conicks via the radio. “Vaeolus to Cybit, the salad is ready to serve. Rendezvous with Gikerot at your earliest convenience, over.”

 

It shouldn't be long until they returned. Valka relaxed in his seat, thinking over the potential sites for relocation. Having to move their entire operation again, so soon after the last time, was going to be a headache, but at least they'd be able to take their time. The base wasn't discovered yet. That was one thing they still had in their favour.

 


	7. Chapter 7

Ted's guts churned as ey thought about how much trouble ey must be in, or maybe it was because ey'd been kicked in the stomach earlier.

 

Somehow, ey couldn't get the split Grundo's words out of eir head - _“Our Leader is generous and merciful, as long as we are obedient to him.”_ Obedience had never come naturally. Even when ey tried, ey still made mistakes, so why even bother trying? The only thing keeping em out of trouble was the fear of causing real harm and the fear of being punished.

 

Selfish. That was what ey'd always been, and ey hated it. If ey'd known Gorix was Resistance, for instance, ey wouldn't have covered for him, and ey certainly wouldn't have met him under that tree alone. Petty criminals watching each other's backs was one thing, allowing a terrorist to commandeer food supplies that had been intended for the general public was quite another. Even if he did look starving.

 

Ey felt sick for even deriving that small bit comfort from the way the Leader held em, from his scent, from the movement of his steps. It was wrong of em.

 

Fear and disappointment flooded in as the gentle rocking ceased, and Ted felt emself peeled from the Leader's chest. He plopped em into a basic plastic chair that was surprisingly supportive of eir contours, and loosed the gag.

 

Beheld, in front of em, was a platter of fresh fruit. Ey began to drool as the scent hit em full in the mouth. It was too good to be true, wasn't it? No way ey'd be allowed to indulge in premium goods, not now.

 

“Eat,” he commanded, lowering himself into a somewhat splendid leather armchair opposite. It did nothing to diminish his awesome presence.

 

Ted looked up as eir cuffs dragged cautiously over the table. Eir hands found something soft and sticky and ey clutched it, watching his face for any change, any hint of disapproval. He smiled at em, and ey nearly jumped out of eir skin.

 

“Go on,” he said. “Take it.”

 

Ted raised the fruit to eir lips, looking up again to make sure one last time. He gave a nod.

 

Ey bit into its succulent flesh. Eir eyes widened. So intense! So juicy! Ey had no words to describe what it felt like, swirling around eir mouth before ey swallowed. Before ey knew it, the other half was gone as well and ey was searching the plate for another that ey might get away with taking.

 

Ey took another. And another. And another. No one was stopping em. Juice smeared all over eir hands and face, dribbling from eir chin as eir voraciousness continued unsated. Eventually the plate was empty and ey lifted it up, sucking it clean.

 

As ey put it down to lick, ey heard a chuckle. At once, ey remembered who was in the room with em, and ey felt ashamed.

 

“Your urges are hard for you to ignore, aren't they,” the Supreme Leader, Frank Sloth, observed.

 

Ted just nodded meekly. Hunger, anger, fear, and a new one that had been introduced to em by Gorix. Whatever logic holding em to the correct course of action went out of the window whenever a strong emotion gripped hold. It was a constant struggle against eir baser nature to keep appearing like ey was a good, normal citizen.

 

“I understand that the Resistance tried to use that to your disadvantage, but you were stronger than they thought.”

 

Ey looked up, confused by the Leader's sympathy towards em.

 

“Here, let me clean you.” He stood up, producing a wet wipe from who knows where, and proceeded to clean the gunk off Ted's face and hands. His touch was gentle and firm. Ted felt something stir inside, and was ashamed of the way ey blushed in response to his careful gaze.

 

“Now, we can talk more thoroughly,” he said as he was done. "Parlax assures me you are redeemable. What do you believe? Will it be a waste of my time to try and rehabilitate you?"

 

"Par...lax..." Ey'd heard that name before. Ey was sure of it.

 

"The police officer investigating your case. The young Grundo, with the scar."

 

That name though, it sparked a memory. A hooded figure in a darkened room. A feeling of being desperate to please.

 

"He interrogated me?" It had felt like a dream. Even now, the memories were so vague. The face floating around em had been covered in shadow, but the voice – the voice was the same.

 

“Yes. He did note you looked rather unwell at the time.” He tilted eir chin so he could look em directly in the face, his expression serious. “Are you injured, Ted?”

 

“Uh.” Suddenly ey felt so dizzy. “C-commander Garoo kicked me.”

 

Before ey could think another thought, ey'd been scooped up and plonked on the Leader's lap as he sat in his fancy chair.

 

“Where did he kick you?” Those eyes seemed to stare right into eir soul. Ey couldn't lie to them, not without great penalty.

 

“There.” Ey indicated eir stomach and the top of eir abdomen. Even light touching was enough to cause some pain.

 

He lifted eir shirt to have a look for himself.

 

“I shall have to have a word with him,” he said as he pulled a tube of some sort of cream from his sleeve. Ted watched as he squeezed an amount onto his hand and started spreading it over the bruised area. Ey winced, whimpering as he worked the ointment into eir skin. It smelled delicious.

 

“There you are,” he hummed, resting the fabric back over the now faintly sticky surface. What it was supposed to do, Ted had no idea. Ey just wanted to go home now.

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

Gorix sat on his perch, waiting. He'd been there over twenty minutes now and Conicks was nowhere in sight. Anxious, he called to base.

 

"Gikerot to Vaeolus, come in Vaeolus."

 

"This is Vaeolus. What's the trouble, over?"

 

"Cybit has failed the rendezvous. Request advice, over."

 

"Do you have a visual, over?"

 

Gorix observed his surroundings once more, looking for any sign of his missing comrade.

 

"Negative. No visual on Cybit, over."

 

There was a pause. Something wasn't right here, and Valka must know it too. Conicks never stayed out late, always eager to return to his tinkering.

 

Finally the Commander spoke.

 

"Return to last positive location, and be careful, Gikerot. Use cover, over."

 

"Copy that, Vaeolus. Over."

 

He crawled through the canopy, scanning the ground beneath him for signs of his missing comrade. The going was slow. He had to be aware of anything – petpet or plantlife – that might give his presence away to anyone patrolling below.

 

Finally! A sliver of yellow cutting through the undergrowth. He checked all around before shimmying down the trunk to investigate.

 

“Conicks?” he whispered. The greenery surrounding him should provide cover for now. He crawled slowly forward until he was next to his friend. “Conicks what happened?”

 

The yellow Grundo's eyes flicked open. “Gorix, I'm sorry. They saw me. I needed to lose them.”

 

“Who saw you? Are you hurt?”

 

“A warden. There weren't supposed to be any. I shook them off but I tripped and my radio went flying. My foot's stuck. I can't run. They'll be back any minute with a patrol.”

 

“Shh. We'll get you out of here. Just stay calm.” He touched Conicks shoulder and gave him a smile.

 

Conicks didn't look particularly convinced but stayed quiet as Gorix moved to get a better look at his foot.

 

Instantly he saw the problem. A tangle of brambles was caught around Conicks' ankle. He must have twisted as he fell. Thankfully, aside from some painful looking cuts, the site looked okay. Gorix removed a tiny saw from one of his utility pockets.

 

“Hold still Conicks, I'm going to get you loose.”

 

“Is it bad?”

 

“No, you're looking fine really. It's just these thorns are wrapped around pretty tight so I'm going to cut them loose.” He braced himself for pain and grasped hold of the stem. He let out a small breath as he started cutting and the thorns dug deeper into his skin.

 

“You should go,” Conicks whimpered. “If they come now, I don't want to be the reason you get caught.”

 

“We're not going to get caught. I'm nearly through... there!” He unwrapped the brambles from around Conicks ankle and shoved it aside. “You should be able to move your leg now.”

 

Conicks pulled his knee up until it was under his chest, gingerly exercising his foot to see if it really was okay. He smiled weakly. “Thank you, Gorix.”

 

“Now we need to go.” He put the saw back and helped Conicks stand up. “How's it doing?”

 

“It's taking my weight, for now. I don't know how I'll be if I have to run again.”

 

“Hmm...” Gorix grabbed his radio. “Gikerot to Vaeolus. Come in, Vaeolus.”

 

“This is Vaeolus, over.”

 

“Cybit retrieved. Superficial damage but operational, over.”

 

“Are you mobile, over?”

 

“Affirmative. Over.”

 

“Very well. Return to base ASAP. Over and out.”

 

They'd have to be quick. There was no time for clambering around negotiating treetops, and Gorix doubted Conicks' ability to even get up there while his leg was hurt.

 

“Climb on my back.” It was the only way.

 

Conicks looked incredulous. “I can walk!”

 

“But can you run? If they see either one of us, it's over. We can't afford to lead them back to base.”

 

“I can run. Probably.” He didn't look so sure about that.

 

“Come on, you know I've carried heavier. Get on!”

 

Gorix bent over to emphasise his readiness to go. Conicks gritted his teeth and climbed on.

 

“If you think we're being followed, just drop me. You'll get away quicker and I'll distract them.”

 

“Ha!” Gorix took a breath before setting off. “I'm not letting you go for anything. Either we both make it back, or neither of us do. I'm not going to abandon you Conicks.”

 

Conicks pondered that statement as Gorix lurched into a jog. He wasn't going to abandon him. If someone came between them though, what then? Did Gorix even need him anymore?

 


	9. Chapter 9

“What do you want of me?” Ted's voice was a whimper. The Leader had been holding em, stroking em softly for some time.

 

“Only your unwavering allegiance and utmost trust. It is what I would ask of any citizen.”

 

Ted shuffled uncomfortably. Memories from education, troubling truths, nibbled at the little reassurance ey'd found.

 

“Is... is it true you can turn people into monsters?”

 

A shallow intake of breath, that sounded almost akin to a gasp.

 

“Why yes,” he hummed. “Does that scare you?”

 

“Um...” Ey wasn't sure how to answer. Regardless, a shiver ran up eir body.

 

“You find me intimidating.” There was an all-knowing look in his eye as he spoke. “As much you should, but there is something more. You are deeply afraid of me, aren't you?”

 

Ted's throat gave a croak as ey nodded. The songs teaching em to love the Leader, the great Provider of All, had been drowned out by the physical punishment, the Lessons of War, the fear of being detected as someone unfaithful to the state. And that was before Gorix.

 

“Perhaps that is why he attempted to turn you against me. Fear can convince people to do awful, awful things.”

 

He stroked eir hair away from eir face, letting his fingers run through. Ey felt loved, like a pet. Or perhaps... It reminded em of something else...

 

“Is there something on your mind?”

 

“Yes,” Ted stuttered. “S-supreme Leader.”

 

He smiled. “Well?”

 

“Um, I guess, I want to know –” Was it hot? Suddenly the room felt a lot warmer. “– is masturbation... is it wrong? Is it... is it a crime?”

 

“Yes, it is. And I will tell you why. Long, long ago, before your people conceded to my wisdom, Neopets drifted, searching for their true love. They were, however, blind and without guidance, and so the vast majority of relationships ended in failure and heartbreak. I swore to myself that when I came to rule, no law abiding citizen would feel such pain. That is why I choose your partners for you, so that you may have the best chance of a successful and happy partnership – one that will last the rest of your lives.”

 

Ted knew of people who had spent their entire childhood fantasising about their day of union, imagining their perfect partner. How could anyone begin to search for that on their own, when the planet was so much bigger?

 

“The act of sexual union ought to be a joyous event,” he continued. “By pleasuring your own body, you are denying your partner the opportunity to tend to both your needs and their own.”

 

Ted looked away, ashamed. “But what if...”

 

“What if you wished to remain partner-less?”

 

Ey nodded.

 

“I am going to ask you a question. When you began learning about sexual intercourse, you felt discomfort, so much so that you felt there was no point in your continuing to be there. You had made your decision. The supposed joy that partnership was meant to bring was not worth the trauma of forcing your body to couple with another's – a perfectly reasonable decision at the time.”

 

Ted awaited the question.

 

“However, my question is this – when you lay naked in front of Gorix, when he forced you to acknowledge your own body, did you feel disgust or merely shame?”

 

“D-disgust.” Ey looked away. The floor beckoned. “It felt wrong. Like, as if I were destroying myself.”

 

“And yet you repeated the act when you were secure in your home. Why would you say that was?”

 

“I felt... discomfort. I wanted to get rid of it. I was scared.”

 

“There is no need to fear anymore.” He stroked his finger down the side of eir face. “Your awakening is at hand.”

 

Eir mouth hung open, waiting for words that weren't forthcoming. It was a question ey just could not ask.

 

“Do you feel it? That warmth along your body? That is how you are meant to feel. You will feel that for me for as long as you live.”

 

Something strange was happening to eir body. As the Leader kept stroking and cooing, ey found emself wanting more... inappropriate forms of attention. The press of skin against skin, the sharing of kisses. The glow of having climaxed after such a long time of discomfort.

 

He was inside eir mouth. Unsure what to do, Ted closed eir lips around him and sucked.

 

“Yes, do what comes naturally.” His face expressed pity no longer. He seemed... proud of em. His finger slid over eir tongue, and ey could feel the texture of his finger prints as he moved gently in and out.

 

The ritual made little sense to Ted, but the way he looked at em now was something ey'd never seen from any authority. Ey craved it, that feeling of being valued and loved. The feeling that ey was doing something _right_.

 

“You must be curious,” he said, still probing gently at eir mouth. “Does my body match the description of perfection that was given to you?”

 

Was he going to show em? Eir eyes widened when his finger slipped from eir mouth, and he loosened the robe around his chest, extricating himself carefully from its protective cover. The muscular form beneath was breathtaking in its beauty, but what caught eir eye were the nipples that accented either side of his angular pecs. Something about them was extremely disquieting, though ey couldn't work out why.

 

"You may touch."

 

In the context it sounded more like an order than a grant. Ted reached out with both hands to feel the Leader's great chest. Ey wouldn't have been able to deny that by this point ey was curious about him. He hummed with approval as eir fingers ran over bump and contour, tracing the shape of his muscles.

 

"Does it stand up to your expectations?” His voice seemed to lower in pitch as his expression turned guarded, almost mischievous.

 

“It's more. More than I ever imagined.” The way his muscles moved under his skin, gliding beneath that small layer of fat – it was so real. He was alive in ways ey could never have imagined.

 

He pressed em close to his chest.

 

“Do you feel the beat of my heart?” Yes. Ey did. His voice had taken on a breathy quality, and ey wondered why. “What you are feeling is my love for my citizens, and my commitment to serving and maintaining this society.”

 

“I'm sorry.” The words slipped out as a whisper.

 

“Sorry for what?” His fingers ran firmly down eir back, pushing em closer.

 

“For being wrong.” A shiver followed the trail of his hand. The fact he was showing em such leniency, that ey didn't deserve, only amplified how inadequate ey felt in his presence, in his grasp.

 

“Well,” he said, stroking eir body softly. “I know a way that you can make it right.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

"Gorix?"

 

The rhythm of Gorix's feet against the ground slowed slightly. "Is everything all right? Do you need more first aid?" he panted.

 

"Yeah, I was just wondering," Conicks replied, feeling sheepish now that he was actually about to say it. "Could we maybe... talk, before we get back to headquarters? You sound like you could use a break."

 

Gorix sighed. He spotted a tussock and thought "good enough", secretly grateful for the opportunity to stretch his back for a bit.

 

He lowered Conicks carefully down before taking a seat next to him.

 

"What did you want to talk about?" he said, pulling his shoulders back to try and loosen the muscles.

 

"Oh, well," Conicks gulped. "It's uh, it's about Cylara."

 

"What about her?" Gorix was well into his routine now, working his upper body so it wouldn't seize up on him while they rested.

 

"Well, it's about you and her really." Conicks watched the muscles go round and round. "Are you guys exclusive now?"

 

"What? No!" Gorix started to laugh. "Whatever made you think that?"

 

"It's just, uh, you've been paying her a lot of attention and um..." He trailed off, unsure if Gorix would even take him seriously if he talked about what had been on his mind.

 

"You're feeling jealous?" Gorix stopped stretching and looked at Conicks.

 

"No! Just, maybe. I..." He'd never felt good enough for Gorix, really. He gulped and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry."

 

"What are you sorry for?" If anything, Gorix felt, it was his fault Conicks was jealous. He should have known this would happen. After all, it wasn't the first time. "I'm the one who took my eye off the ball. Again."

 

He wound his fingers through Conicks', gazing gently at his face. "When we get back to headquarters, I promise I'll make it up to you."

 

Conicks made an uncomfortable expression and looked away, even as still he hung onto Gorix's hand as if a tether. "I know I'll never be Parlax," he said quietly.

 

Oof. It came as a punch in the gut to hear Parlax's name. After so many months, it still felt as if a piece of his soul had been ripped out every single time. Gorix felt his chest grow cold, his head light. "And he'll never be you. But that's okay."

 

His voice cracked on that last sentence, and Conicks looked up just in time to see Gorix crumble underneath his façade. He wrapped his arms around him, hugging him close as Gorix started to shudder.

 

"I'm sorry," he tried, stroking over Gorix's back in what he hoped was a comforting way. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

 

Gorix fought for breath as panic and grief overwhelmed him in a joint assault. Tears splashed down onto Conicks' back as Gorix continued to shudder.

 

The unmistakable snap of a branch underfoot broke their embrace. Conicks' heart raced as he realised there was no way they could outrun whoever was stalking them _and_ make it back to base. It was all his fault.

 

"You should run," said Gorix. His whole body still shook with the intensity of his emotion, yet his voice stayed calm. "You're needed at base more than I am. I'll hold them off while you run."

 

"I can't let you do that for me. It's my fault we stopped. We should split up. If we both get caught then so be it."

 

"I can't let them get you!" There was an intense look in Gorix's eyes. "If they take you they take me as well!"

 

There was no more time. Conicks needed to reach a compromise and fast. "We'll run together then, you and me, back to base."

 

He took Gorix's hand and stood up, making as if to lead him away.

 

"Okay then." Gorix gripped tight onto Conicks' hand. They weren't going to make it, he knew, but at least he'd be able to protect Conicks if the worst came to the worst.

 

They weren't going to take him without a fight.

 


	11. Chapter 11

It had been hours, and there was still no sign of Gorix or Conicks. Valka tried to rest his tired mind. Conicks was injured, they're probably travelling slow. It was to be expected that they would take longer to get home than usual.

 

It didn't help his worry.

 

 _"God help them,"_ he prayed. _"Please help them find their way back to us unharmed."_

 

"Commander?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.

 

He turned round, spotting Cylara by the door. “Oh. What is it?”

 

“A-are you busy?” She looked sheepish. “I could come back later.”

 

“No, no,” he sighed. He took a note of the time and put it to memory. “What's the matter?”

 

“I'm not sure I'm... settling in all that well.”

 

He beckoned her inside and put an arm around her shoulder. “I can tell you that every single one of the young people in this base went through a similar period of doubt. It's a lot to take in, knowing you've been lied to all your life, and that no one has the power to speak out about it.”

 

She nodded sadly. “I keep wondering how my Dad's getting on without me. I hope I didn't get him in trouble.”

 

Valka sighed gently. "A father's burden can be difficult to bear. He did well to raise you after your mother was taken."

 

"I wish we could save him."

 

"Our life isn't to be envied. Even we are never truly free from the regime. Your father will be safer there, until such day as we can remove Sloth from power."

 

She digested his statement. Suddenly the radio crackled.

 

"Alert! Agent down! You need to - urggh!" A burst of static, the sound of a blaster shot signalled the end of the message.

 

Valka's face paled. "Right then!" He thumped his fist on the table and strode towards the door.

 

"But that was Gorix! We need to help him!"

 

"What we need is to protect the lives of everyone here. Pack your belongings, we must begin moving immediately."

 

"But Commander, we have to -"

 

"That was an order!" He rounded on her, eyes blazing. "I will not lose any more soldiers to that God-forsaken fortress! Understand?"

 

Her head hung low as she answered. "But it's Gorix."

 

He put a hand on her shoulder. "There will be time to mourn later. What's more important now is to ensure any information he can give them will be inaccurate by the time they can investigate. If they find our base, we've lost, and Sloth will be free to do whatever he likes to the people. Cylara, do you understand?"

 

"I understand." She nodded, feeling an empty pit growing inside her chest. Gorix had been the one to welcome her and make her feel most at home. She didn't know what she would do if he was gone.

 


	12. Chapter 12

"Uggh..."

 

Gorix came round slowly. His head was swirling. He'd been dreaming about someone... Parlax. His stomach lurched as he remembered.

 

Conicks! Gorix's eyes flicked open. He sat up, his insides churning, scanning his surroundings. He was in a cell. Opposite, through the bars, sat a Grundo with a familiar glow.

 

"You! Please, you have to help me! My friend's in here somewhere and I have to get him out!"

 

"I'm sorry, Gorix." Ey blinked. "You need to stay here. Master said so."

 

Master? Oh hell no.

 

"You were a plant!" Gorix slammed into the bars, snatching wildly at the thin air between him and Ted. "I trusted you! You were only there to sell us out!"

 

Ted flinched, but otherwise stayed where ey was. Ey seemed disturbed, afraid. Still he wanted to tear em apart.

 

"Gorix," ey gasped. "You... I wasn't."

 

"You were working for the police all along, weren't you! You pretended to be vulnerable you sick monster!"

 

"Gorix..." Ey looked at the floor. "I just wanted to say... I forgive you."

 

"Forgive me!? For what, you fucking prick!?"

 

"For kidnapping me, for touching me. For making me want..." Ey looked up. "More."

 

He backed away from the bars, his eyes widening in fear. "I'm not giving you anything more, you hear me? Not now I know who you work for."

 

"But you don't need to give me anything." Ey smiled. It looked odd, wrong, like ey'd been drugged. "I have an arrangement in place to, heheh, "deal" with those emotions."

 

"What do you mean?" He was against the wall now, nowhere else to run to, nowhere to hide.

 

"You needn't fight the Leader, Gorix. He is very generous. He wants what's best for all of us."

 

"You've been brainwashed! He doesn't want what's best for any of us! He only wants to control!"

 

Ey shook eir head. "Gorix, you're the one who's been brainwashed. I don't expect you to see it yet, but having more than one partner doesn't make you any more loved than you would be with one."

 

Gorix gulped. Ey was trying to get to him by voicing his own doubts. Ey must be. He mustn't let em.

 

"You're taking the love you could give to that special someone and diluting it. Even if you do love them equally, you're only ensuring they'll be equally unhappy."

 

"Who," he croaked. "Who told you about my partners?"

 

"Oh, the Chief Inspector! He told me all about you so I wouldn't be scared when I came to talk to you."

 

"And how does he know so much about me, huh!? Did you put a bug on me or something? Is that how your precious police force knew exactly where me and Conicks were when we stopped to catch our breath? Well!?"

 

Ted shook eir head. "I haven't planted anything on you, Gorix. You're being paranoid."

 

"Oh yeah? What's with the uniform? I haven't seen that colour before. What does it mean? Infiltrator? Reverse psychologist?"

 

"Oh it's, uh, "personal attendant" I think is the word they used." Ey was grinning now, blushing. "I mean, I feel more like a pet really, but I think that's because he's just so awesome, you know?"

 

"Who the fuck..." Gorix let the bile rise up in his throat. He couldn't fight it anymore. He spied a bucket and bent over it, retching.

 

"I'm okay, Gorix. I like being looked after, and I like making people happy. Especially... someone so great."

 

The contents of his stomach spilled into the bucket as his entire body lurched. "H... How..."

 

How could he have let this happen? He was somehow in direct responsibility for the shit he'd caused by trying to befriend this person. It was his fault.

 

"Don't worry, Gorix. He's kind. We were just mistaken, you and I. He knows you were recruited against your will."

 

"St-op." His insides lurched again.

 

"All you have to do is prove you're not beyond redemption."

 

"I don't... want... redemption..."

 

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I sincerely hope Parlax will manage to break your brainwashing."

 

"Parlax!?" Gorix froze, even as Ted kept talking.

 

"It would be so sad if you went through all that you've been through only to find out you can't be repaired."

 

"What has this got to do with Parlax!?"

 

"The Chief Inspector?"

 

"Bullshit!" He felt his blood boil. "Now I know you're a plant!"

 

Ted let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Gorix, I really am."

 

"So you admit it, huh?" Ey had to be lying. Ey had to be. Parlax wouldn't sell them out. No way was he working for the Police.

 

"I hope he gets through to you." Ey looked at him with the utmost pity and got up to leave.

 

"Wait you can't...! You can't just fuckin' leave me!"

 

Gorix threw himself against the bars. He needed to know, he needed to see if Ted was lying. It couldn't be... Parlax would never defect. He'd never just... leave him.

 

"There's nothing else I can do for you now," ey lamented. "Parlax or Garoo. It's your choice."

 

With that, ey left the room. No amount of screaming or kicking the furniture on Gorix's part would suffice. He sank to the floor, tears running rivulets down his cheeks. He was trapped, all alone, and he was helpless. All he could do was wait for the inevitable.

 


	13. Chapter 13

"Co-nicks..." someone sang, rousing him from his deep slumber. Who was it? It wasn't a voice that he recognised.

 

"Time to wake up, Conicks."

 

It was so soothing. Out of curiosity, he opened his eyes.

 

"Good morning, Conicks."

 

The horror seeped in slowly as it dawned on him where he was, who it was sat opposite in that ornate and glorious armchair.

 

"Y-you're Sloth!" Conicks scrabbled for the back of his own chair, but found he was belted to it. He struggled against them, looking for some way to undo the tight bands keeping him trapped.

 

"I wanted to talk to you, Conicks."

 

"No! You're... You're evil!"

 

"I thought you might say that," said Sloth his demeanour unchanged. "But if I might, I will continue anyway. It concerns the future of Gorix."

 

"G-gorix?" Conicks became still, watching Sloth with great anxiety.

 

"He has committed a great many crimes, which I might have forgiven had it not been for the way in which he hurt you."

 

"Hurt... me?" What was Sloth talking about? Gorix was his friend, his lover. Gorix would never intentionally hurt him. He tried to save him. It was his fault Gorix was even here in the first place. Conicks tried to stop himself from hyperventilating.

 

"You have been in love with him for a very long time." He didn't state this with any degree or even hint of uncertainty.

 

"H-how," he rasped. "How do you know about that?"

 

The Leader's eyes bored deep into him, framed by his compassionate face. "I know everything about you, Conicks. I know that it was Gorix's influence that led you to join him when he left for the Resistance. I know how you looked on at his close friendship with Parlax, and felt envy. You felt something, didn't you?"

 

"I-I-I..." How could he know? Was it true then? That Sloth really could read minds?

 

"You knew, instinctively, that you were meant for him, didn't you?"

 

It... wasn't something he could have explained at the time. Somehow, when the subject of Union ever arose, it was always Gorix he imagined standing next to him before the officiator. "What are you saying?" he stammered. "Are you saying... we would have been together? As spouses?"

 

"Had you completed your education, yes." He put his hand out to touch Conicks' face. "Rarely do I find so perfect a match among classmates."

 

Conicks' insides burned. If they'd been intended for each other, that meant... that meant... "I shouldn't have joined the Resistance," he whimpered. "I should have... told him no. I should have reported him."

 

Conicks stiffened as Sloth placed a kiss on his lips. "It saddens me deeply to see you in such distress."

 

Conicks looked up with wide eyes. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He had to wake up. This was a nightmare - it must be.

 

"You don't need to fear me, Conicks." Sloth's thumb stroked at Conicks' antenna, his eyes glistening with emotion. "It's unfortunate that Gorix betrayed you so. I want to find someone with whom you will be truly happy."

 

"W-why?" Did he mean himself? Was he trying to use the Resistance's tactics against them? Those red eyes with the black dots, they were unlike anything Conicks had ever seen. They were mesmerising. He found himself wanting to fall into them forever.

 

"Because I care about you," the Leader responded. "And I care about the crimes that have been committed against you."

 

He was trying to turn him against Gorix, trying to get him to sell him out. That must be it, it must be, it must...

 

"Did it hurt you, to see him toy with your feelings? Deny your affections so he could seek multiple, simultaneous partnerships?"

 

"Y-yes," Conicks whimpered. He'd tried to bury it, for his own sake and Gorix's. He felt greedy for wanting him all to himself, even if it felt like a knife in the heart seeing him with someone else.

 

"Did you ever tell him how his behaviour was making you feel?"

 

Conicks gulped. "Yes." He could feel it coming, the meltdown. There was nothing he could do to self-soothe. Thinking of Gorix, how lucky he was to have Gorix notice him, it felt like a lie. A manipulative lie designed to cheat and torture him. Gorix should have been his. He should have been his...

 

Conicks shook as the tears rolled down his face.

 

"There you are," Sloth crooned as he dabbed Conicks' face with a tissue. "You have been punishing yourself for too long - you should not be ashamed of your emotions."

 

Conicks wailed as those words hit home. It was too much, inside him. He'd been ashamed for so long, enslaved.

 

His wrists pushed against the arms of the chair, desperately trying to force himself upwards, to escape. It wasn't comfortable here. He needed comfort. His face thrashed from side to side, the sodden tissue grazing his cheeks. His face was wet, cold and wet.

 

Those eyes. The face that held him there. He couldn't escape. The tissue kept dabbing. The look of sympathy and regret that forced him to look at it. The eye contact was unblinking. He was past drained already but it demanded more, more of his energy that was in the negative.

 

He screamed.

 

"Conicks, I am going to forgive you."

 

That soft, condescending tone - he hated it! Why wouldn't it go away? JUST GO AWAY! "L-LEAVE ME... ALONE!"

 

"As long as you call me Master, or Supreme Leader, you will benefit from my benevolence and generosity."

 

"NO! GO AWAY!"

 

His muscles strained. He couldn't get up. He wanted to hit that face. Make it stop. Run away. He couldn't move.

 

The screaming and the crying, still that gentle dabbing. Still that condescending tone. Still that face that demanded all his energy just to look at.

 

He couldn't struggle forever. As he tired, Conicks felt the pain. His muscles screamed, even as his own screaming died to a whimper. _"Please,"_ he thought. _"Please let me up."_

 

"Oh Conicks," the Leader sighed. "What am I to do with you?"

 

_"Please, please let me up. I don't like this anymore."_

 

He put the tissue aside and started stroking Conicks' face with his hands, forcing him to look up into his face.

 

"You've been hurt in so many ways, by Gorix, by Valka, by your own determination to please them."

 

Conicks blubbered. He couldn't form the words right. He didn't even know what words he was trying to say.

 

"I know how you're feeling. You are lost, confused. Hurt."

 

Conicks' heart yearned. He wanted Gorix. Yet Gorix he could never have. Gorix had been taken from him. This man, the one he had feared for so long, was his only comfort.

 

"I'm... sorry." The words escaped his mouth with great pain.

 

"For what?" Those calm words. It was as if he already knew what was coming next.

 

"For trusting him."

 

As if by magic, all the tension around him seemed to slacken. One of the hands left his face. It was followed by a series of clicks as one by one the belts loosened.

 

Automatically, his arms rose, reaching towards the Leader. He couldn't stop them - it was as if they were working themselves. The Leader accepted, pulling Conicks into a tight embrace. He stroked him softly.

 

"I forgive you."

 

Conicks whimpered. He couldn't go back now. He'd betrayed... No. The Resistance betrayed him. Freedom - that was their promise - but they'd made him a slave.

 

"Will you call me Master?"

 

Conicks nodded, burying his face in the Leader's robes.

 

"Say it."

 

"Master."

 

"Good." His voice rumbled with pleasure. "I think you are going to make an excellent devotee."

 


	14. Chapter 14

A great weight hung over the Resistance. As they settled in and made themselves at home in their new HQ, still no one talked about what was truly on their minds.

The loss of two good agents in one fell swoop.

“We must live on in their memory,” the Commander had said to Cylara. There was no point trying to rescue anyone from that fortress – they were as good as dead.

But they weren't. If he was moving the base, that meant there was a chance they were still alive, that he was afraid they would talk. Well, she knew Gorix. Whatever tools they use on him, he won’t be quick to sell out his teammates. That was her reasoning as she snuck past the Commander's office, a pocket-sized bzzapper in her hand.

He was doing his nightly prayers. Quite what made him cry so loudly for forgiveness every night was a mystery, to Cylara at least. The most she could get from the others was “you don’t want to disturb the commander while he's praying. Trust me.”

And so she snuck right past him. Wouldn’t do to disturb him after all. She gritted her teeth as she made for the exit. She was going to get into so much trouble for this, provided she made it back in one piece.


	15. Chapter 15

_“Master, c-can I ask, where did you come from?”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_He stroked eir cheek, and all eir fears melted away._

_“Did you have a mother?”_

_“Of course I had a mother. What natural born creature does not?”_

No no no, but was he born naturally? That was the question Ted really wanted to ask. Ey played through it again in eir head, differently this time, as ey had dozens of times before.

_“Master, may I ask you something?”_

_“What is it you wish to ask?”_

_“Umm,” ey stammered. “What species are you?”_

_“You think I am a common Neopet? How dare you ask such a thing!” The Supreme Leader scowled. “You are reaching above your station!”_

_Slap!_

No, no. That wasn't right either. Ted needed to get this figured out, or ey wouldn't be able to trust emself in his presence again. Those nipples – what were they for? Was he a mammal? But mammals drink milk when they're young which means he must have had a mother and a childhood and a species.

No, this was heresy, ey was being a bad citizen, ey needed to be punished. Ey raised eir fist, ready to strike eir body, and only just managed to stop emself.

“No, that would be a crime,” ey said to emself, forcing eir hand to relax. There was only one thing for it – ey would have to turn emself in. Tell the Leader about eir heretical thoughts and ask for forgiveness.

It had to be better than punishing emself.

Ey looked at eir watch – almost time to return to him. Ey felt the butterflies grow in eir stomach. What would he think of em? Just a few hours in and already ey was failing him.

“I can't, I mustn't let them do this to me,” ey thought. The Resistance had played with eir mind. Doubting the truth might not be a crime in itself but it could only ever lead to catastrophe. Ey needed to stay strong.

“I'm sorry, Gorix.” Ey had to reject him and everything he'd lied to em about, even if he didn't mean to lie.

It was time to leave. One final check in the mirror, one last look about eir surroundings, and ey was gone.

It was going to be a tense shift.


End file.
